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Saturday, February 6, 2016

STEPHEN HAWKING AND HIS PREPOSTEROUS THEORIES ABOUT GOD AND HEAVEN

The belief that heaven or an afterlife awaits us is a “fairy
story” for people afraid of death, Stephen Hawking has said. In a dismissal
that underlines his firm rejection of religious comforts, Britain’s most
eminent scientist said there was nothing beyond the moment when the brain
flickers for the final time. Hawking, who was diagnosed with motor neurone
disease at the age of 21, shared his thoughts on death, human purpose and our
chance existence in an exclusive interview with The Guardian. He said this about a week back.

I am not vilifying Hawking. He is one the few people who is
looking for a short cut to fame and fortune. After all what he is propounding
is only a theory and not a fact. Heaven is for the soul and not for the
physical body. A man with a physical body with a limited brain cannot see
heaven. God's ways are inscrutable. When man thinks he has reached one boundary
another boundary appears. There is no limit to knowledge. There is a famous
saying in Tamil language --- What we know is only a handful and what we don't
know is as much as the universe. If Hawking thinks he knows everything there is
to know and the collective wisdom of mankind from early stages of life is
false, then his theories are preposterous He is misleading youngsters who have
no proper grounding in religious faith and turning them away from God.

Hawking is an Atheist. It is not easy to convince an Atheist. He doesn't know
that we have a physical body that is corruptible and a soul which is
incorruptible. It is the soul which goes to heaven or hell depending upon what
we do here.

Stephen wants to see heaven with his physical body which is not possible. He
must die to see heaven or hell. I am sure he will go to hell because as I said
he has sold his soul for the sake of earthly fame to satan who is just waiting
in the corner to carry his soul to hell. He will also be doubly punished for
misusing his position as an eminent scientist and misleading people by his
preposterous views. We should pray for this man.

Any one who wants to understand Stephen Hawking should first read and
understand Christopher Marlowe's book Dr. Faustus first published in 1604.

Stephen has sold his soul to the devil for fame.

A word of caution. I know some of my friends will have strong views about my post. You are welcome to write what you want but please note your comment will not appear if you insult me personally.

119 comments:

There is a world of difference between legal entitlement and rational entitlement. When the best a person can do is to say that he or she is entitled to a certain belief, it’s a sure sign that the belief lacks rational entitlement.

Many people struggle with this question. It seems that you and Stephen Hawking have each come to terms with your beliefs. A lot of people are not as certain about what happens after death. And there are other beliefs such as reincarnation. I'm sure those who believe they will come back in another form are just as certain as you and Mr. Hawking are. It must be comforting to be that sure.

I think the author would be better served questioning Mr Hawking's views on artificial intelligence. Religion is a topic that has been debated ad infinitum with war and bloodshed being more much probable outcomes than agreement.

Artificial intelligence might well appoint a man like Mr Hawking to be their spokesman on earth, similar our primitive pope.

I don't think Mr Hawking would make a very good pope, he can't tell fibs for sour apples.

God,Heaven,Hell etc. quite often are tagged with question marks, negation theory and also affirmation theme. My view point is that there is a power that controls the animate and inanimate beyond the capture of the sapient homo sapien. And that power one can address as God or Divine Force or whatever.So many things come on our ways to lift us from hiches. Every particle has a line of movement which only prevents the collision of the objects with each other.And this line is drawn by the Nature and that is God.

We cannot blame Stephen Hawking because he bears physical drawbacks a lot and overcoming that he performs wonders.He thinks that had there been a God,He wouldn't have made him handicapped or at least He had not been clement to him.So his weak physique might have built a wall in his psyche to keep the God apart.

May be that his previous birth might have been full of undesired deeds committed by him and so may be his suffering now.Don't know what.

Joseph, I hope that you never feel that I have insulted you personally, not only because, strange as it is to say, I love you, but because attacking someone personally constitutes an invalid argument. I will point out, my friend, that you have insulted Hawking personally by impugning his motive. In doing this, you are disobeying the Biblical admonition to treat others as you would have them treat you. It’s also true that even if you are right that he simply makes things up to achieve fame, it doesn’t mean he’s wrong. Personal attacks occur when one can’t refute the other person’s belief by proving one’s own belief, and this is where you stand with Hawking. You call his view a theory, but NOT believing something doesn’t constitute a theory. He is simply saying that there is no evidence to support your belief, and with this, I would agree despite the fact that I would DEARLY LOVE to believe in an afterlife. This should make me an easy person to convince, yet I am not convinced. I am convinced of gravity, of the existence of rocks, of the fact that cats have fur, and hundreds of thousands of other things, but an afterlife? Hardly. Instead of putting people down for not believing as you do, why not prove to us you’re right?

Hello Snowbrush, please read the comment of Rudraprayaga above. Stephen is a frustrated, disappointed, dejected man because of his physical deformity and therefore he is denying the existence of God. Even his devoted wife left him because it became impossible to live with him.

When Jesus lived and taught and performed miracles the Jews did not believe HIM and they crucified HIM. I don't think any one can be convinced against his will.

We believe in God and after life. This is gives us peace, happiness and the strength to confront the problems that we face on this earth.

This belief has worked for me, my parents and my forefathers and for millions of people all over the world. Hence my rejection of views expressed by Hawking. No doubt Hawking had a brilliant mind but no so any more.

“Stephen is a frustrated, disappointed, dejected man because of his physical deformity and therefore he is denying the existence of God.”

Joseph, you are leaving me frustrated because you must surely realize that the truth or falsity of Hawkin’s proposition is unrelated to the reason he believes it. This means that you cannot disprove IT by attacking HIM.

I would have just as much reason to dismiss your theism by saying that you only believe as you do because you’re too afraid to face life without a crutch, which is what many atheists would say. Theists claim that atheists don’t believe because they’re bitter, and atheists claim that theists do believe because they’re weak, but even if these things were true, they would be irrelevant because ARGUMENTS STAND ALONE. Surely, you can see that such statements constitute an ad hominem attack and are therefore an evasion rather than an argument. You’re a smart guy, so why would you stoop to such tactics as trying to refute someone’s beliefs by saying that his wife left him? It doesn’t matter if ten wives left him. He could be the most unpleasant person in the world and still be right. He could be as bad as Hitler and still be right or as good as Gandhi and still be wrong. He could even be an Olympic athlete, yet many theists would still find an excuse to dismiss his belief by attacking his character and integrity. I once had a theology professor dismiss Nietzsche by saying that he believed as he did because he was physically weak, and that was the entirety of our study of Nietzsche. Literally. Not another word was said about Nietzsche the wrong term, yet truth is unrelated to character. Would you like some atheist professor to dismiss your beliefs that way.

“the Jews did not believe HIM and they crucified HIM.”

This is a view that has led to the deaths of millions of Jews. As you surely know, it was the Roman government that ordered the execution, but isn’t the point of the crucifixion that we’re all responsible for his death because we’re all sinners? That is, if we had not sinned, he would not have died.

Snowbrush, I agree I have a crutch. I am proud of this crutch. It gives me peace,courage, strength, joy and hope. I strongly believe that any one who doesn't have this crutch is full of misery and is leading a hopeless life.

You are convinced of gravity,existence of rocks etc. If I go by this logic, I should say that I did not have a grandfather because I have not seen him and there is not even a photo. But I know and believe I had a grand father. Perhaps you will say that I didn't have a grandfather because you did not see him. This is the logic of Atheists.

God, after life and heaven and hell are matters of belief. I don't have any problem with people who don't want to believe but I am not prepared to remain silent when some one questions my beliefs.

“You are convinced of gravity,existence of rocks etc. If I go by this logic, I should say that I did not have a grandfather because I have not seen him and there is not even a photo. But I know and believe I had a grand father. Perhaps you will say that I didn't have a grandfather because you did not see him. This is the logic of Atheists.”

Joseph, your charge is untrue in that I’ve never met a single atheist who only believed in what he or she could optically experience. For instance, I can’t see my cat’s intestines, but I would be a bit of an idiot to doubt their existence. Likewise, I can’t see air, or World War II, and I’ve never visited the pyramids, but I believe that all of these things exist based upon an overwhelming amount of other evidence. God, though, is another matter because whereas the physical universe is verifiable in numerous ways other than optical discernment, the supernatural world lacks any concrete evidence. As you put it, it’s a matter of faith, and as the saying goes: “Credo quia absurdum.” Many theologians haven’t even tried to offer reasons for faith, saying that if you had reasons, it wouldn’t be faith. This is where atheists and theists differ, the atheist position being that if you believe in God—in your case, the God of Christianity—by faith alone, you have no reason to choose one God over another. You, of course, disagree, and that’s fine; the only problem I have is when you set up atheism as a straw dog, and then attack that instead of the reality. It really doesn’t become you.

It is easy to see a cats intestine by taking an x ray so also you can see photos of pyramids and world war two. Besides there is a wonderful book written by Dwight D. Eisenhower who was Supreme commander of the Allied forces. The name of the book is Crusade into Europe. He later on became the President of the US. I strongly recommend that you read it if you can get it. It is a wonderful book.

I still don't know how you are going to prove whether I had a grand father or not.

Let Atheists hold on to their belief and let theists bold on to theirs. Let us all live happily as brothers and sister. Let is agree to disagree.

Eisenhower was behind putting the word “God” on money and in the “Pledge of Allegiance.” I thank you for the book recommendation, which, perhaps, you made partly because of how important religion was to him. I am intrigued by it, and will at least see if the local library has it. I wouldn’t be surprised by what you know more about America’s history and political system than most Americans, because mine is not a well-educated nation. We have a high literacy rate, but that’s nothing to brain about considering how many years and dollars are spent on public education.

“I still don't know how you are going to prove whether I had a grand father or not.”

No, I can’t. When a person uses religion as a crutch—as you openly say you’re proud to do—and is going to believe in it regardless of what logic and evidence suggest, it’s such a waste of time to present that person with logic and evidence, that I think if I did very much of it, it would sour our friendship because, from my point of view, you become less and less rational in your responses, and in more and more insulting in your portrayal of how atheists think and why are atheists. There are Christian apologists who do their best at making a rational defense of faith, but you’re not one of them. You instead erect barriers against listening. From my point of view such a discussion can be enjoyable, but from your’s it’s too threatening for you to enjoy, and there is, of course no way I can enjoy it without you doing the same. If you feel that I’m incorrectly portraying you with what I just wrote, I apologize inasmuch as no offense was intended.

“Let Atheists hold on to their belief and let theists bold on to theirs. Let us all live happily as brothers and sister. Let is agree to disagree.”

Yes, I would agree. I think you’re a fine person, and I hope we can always be friends. My problem is that religion is bound to come up between us from time to time because we both post about it, and I really don’t know how to handle those occasions, especially if I believe that you are unjustly criticizing atheists. Do you have any thoughts about what would work for you?

ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS NOTHING.THEN SUDDENLY THERE WAS SOMETHING.AND THIS SOMETHING MYSTERIOUSLY DEVELOPED INTO A FULLY FUNCTIONING, INTRICATELY DESIGNED UNIVERSE ALL BY ITSELF.WITH THE IMMENSITY AND COMPLEXITY OF THE UNIVERSE BEFORE US, ATHEISTS BELIEVE THAT ALL OF THIS CAME FROM ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Don't you think this is a grandmother's fairy tale told to little kids at bed time to put them to sleep.

ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS NOTHING.THEN SUDDENLY THERE WAS SOMETHING.”

Joseph, you speak so authoritatively regarding what atheists believe, yet you rarely say anything the has its basis anywhere other than your imagination. Find me, please, an atheist who thinks that out of nothing came something, and even if you succeed, you will simply have found someone who has no knowledge of physics.

It doesn't matter whether you believe my God and some other power. This is why we have so many religions in the world. You may be aware of only one religion. I live in a country which is a cradle for many religions. You should know Hinduism, Buddhism,Sikhism,Jainism and many others religions originated in India. I strongly recommend that you read some books on these religions. I live in this great country and I surely know what I am talking.

"He is misleading youngsters who have no proper grounding in religious faith and turning them away from God."

I think more youngsters with no grounding in science or logic are misled by organised religion. Religion threatens children with the fires of hell and eternal damnation for them and their families. I don't think Mr Hawking ever threatens children if they don't buy into his beliefs.

I thought I had commented on this post because I know I read it. Just as well and I think I'll pass on this. But I enjoyed reading the remarks of others. Yourposts are always interesting and bring forth many thoughts.

I am just three years younger than you and I had a very difficult time also. I am married for thirty five years and I brought up three children who are doing well in life. Do you think I had an easy life? I relied on God at all times to solve my problems and believe it or not I have not been let down so far. I have come through the most severest tests in my life without a scratch. MY BELIEF AND TRUST IN GOD SUSTAINED ME.

Fantastic quote by Albert Einstein. But this will not stop me from reading books. I had a very hectic life when I had a regular job and now after retirement I have the luxury to read some books at leisure.

Have you read the book TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD by HARPER LEE. She won the Pulitzer Prize for this wonderful book. She died very recently at a ripe old age.

Hasn't everyone read TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD? I still read a lot, but I don't study religions anymore, I read westerns and detective stories and some history. Or books about things I want to learn about.

Fantastic, we have many things in common except God. No problem at all. I love Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, I used to read Perry Mason books, Agatha Christie's novels and recently I read POLICE by Jo Nesbo. I have also read books such as War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, Crime and Punishment, an abridged version of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire and many PG Wodehouse books. I also have read many poems of William Wordsworth. The list can go on.

You don't need God to sustain you but I need God and thank HIM every day for the many blessings he has bestowed upon me.

Joseph and BBC, I'm enjoying your dialogue, but am amazed that you seem to get along so well because I expected things between the two of you to rapidly go to hell in a handbasket, so to speak. BBC, you’re 72, and Joseph you’re three years younger, so that makes you 47…no, wait, 69. I’ll be 67 on March 1, so in acknowledgement of my youth and inexperience, I’ll start listening more to my elders while talking less.

Hello Snowbrush, Many thanks for recommending my blog to rhymeswithplague. I don't know why are you all hiding your real names. Perhaps it is your real names. Once I had a friend whose name was Rain. When I asked her what she had that strange name, she gave me a lengthy explanation. I wrote a blog post reproducing her explanation.

I don't think you are much younger than us. We are all almost in the age group, a few years difference which hardly makes a difference.

I Kochi, a small portion of the park is reserved for elderly people to sit and chat and pass their evenings. In the marine drive, I see very often elderly people getting together in the evenings and sitting and chatting happily till dusk falls.

All of us have walked miles and miles in this life and faced many ups and downs. Surely there are so many things we can discuss about life. We will always have some topics on which we will differ and this only shows we have a healthy friendship. If you agree with everything I write or vice versa that will amount to hypocrisy.

You are a wonderful blogger and I envy the way you write. Every post of yours is masterpiece in style, presentation and content.Best wishes

“I don't know why are you all hiding your real names. Perhaps it is your real names. Once I had a friend whose name was Rain.”

Snowbrush is as real a name as I have, but it’s not my legal real name, but, of course, my current legal real name was not my original legal real name. I think about changing my name (yet again) all the time, mostly when some funny alternative comes to mind. The truth is that space aliens are trying to kill me, so I use a made up blog name so they won’t know where I am. Also, I feel a bit better about writing personal things about myself, Peggy, my friends, my family, atheism, my cats, Islam, and so forth if I have a measure of privacy. If you have an email address somewhere on your blog, I’ll send you my email address along with my legal real name. If you don’t have such an address, please put your address in the comments section on my blog, and I’ll send you my address without letting yours appear. I like sharing my name and address with bloggers I feel close to because who knows what Google might someday do with our blogs, and I don’t want to lose contact with people.

By the way, my blog name was inspired by a Cascade Mountain shrub that I especially admire: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceanothus_velutinus

“Every post of yours is masterpiece in style, presentation and content.”

Hello, Joseph, my name is Bob and I live in Canton, Georgia, in the United States of America. My last name happens to rhyme with plague, hence my blogname. In three weeks I will be 75 years old. I have been a blogging friend of Snowbrush's for several years, and I am a Christian -- one of the few who has not abandoned him. He sent me an email suggesting that I might enjoy reading your blog, so here I am, reading your blog!

I think I can prove very easily that you had a grandfather. You were in the loins of your father (which we can all agree is where you were "begat" from, and Christians and atheists both agree on how that happens -- the father provides the sperm, the mother provides the egg, and the physical process is not only real but usually quite enjoyable -- and your father was in the loins of his father, who is by definition your grandfather. If you did not have a grandfather, you would not be here today writing your blog. Ergo, you had a grandfather. The fact that neither you nor I nor anyone else can see him today since he died many years ago is not proof that he never existed. In fact, the opposite is true. The fact that you are here proves that you had a grandfather, whether or not you can produce him for our observation. Without a grandfather and a father, you would not exist. Clearly, you exist. Clearly, then, you must have had a grandfather.

Unfortunately, however, I don't think this proves anything about the existence of God. He likes to play "hide and seek" with humans. He does the hiding and we do the seeking, and Jeremiah tells us that if with all our heart we truly seek Him, we will ever surely find Him. Those who refuse to seek will never find him unless some sort of startling event life-event occurs (like what happened to Paul on the road to Damascus) changes their mind.

Hi, hello, greetings and good wishes. I am delighted that you have taken the trouble to visit my blog and write a very interesting comment. Snowbrush is a wonderful friend of mine and I admire his writing immensely and learn many things from his thought provoking posts. We disagree on some points but that is not important. It only shows a healthy relationship.

What I was trying to prove is that just because I didn't see my grandfather it doesn't mean he did not exist. So also with God. God is everywhere provided we have an open heart and open eyes to see and experience HIS presence. If someone wants me to produce HIM, it is not at all possible unless, as you said, some startling event happens just like that of St.Paul.

It is almost summer time here and today evening I sat on a bench in the marine drive and watched a fabulous sunset. As the red sun slowly went down over the horizon I was amazed at the great beauty and wondered at the greatness of the Creator behind that splendid event taking place in front of my eyers. There are so many things happening around us and inside us to marvel at the ingenuity of the great God. But if we refuse to see and admire and admit, we are missing something really precious and splendid in our lives.

Human mind is small to comprehend the mighty Creator and all that the great scientists are doing is just picking pebbles on the sea shore and the entire ocean lying in front of us is yet to be explored.

“What I was trying to prove is that just because I didn't see my grandfather it doesn't mean he did not exist. So also with God.”

Look, with all my being, I hope you’re right about there being a loving and pervasive presence in the universe, and I’ll add that what Jeremiah said about “if you seek you will find" IS JUST WRONG, because I have sincerely and even desperately sought God for decades, but to claim that God’s invisibility doesn’t mean he isn’t there is meaningless to me because it doesn’t suggest that he is there either. It’s an argument that my sister, Anne, brings up from time to time in regard to radio waves and so forth (Anne often gets so mad at me over issues of religion that she refuses to write for a few months or even a few years), but, as arguments go, I can scarcely imagine one being weaker because it could be applied to anything that one wants to believe in but has no solid evidence for—ghosts, fairies, and unicorns, for example. And, as I said, no atheist claims that God doesn’t exist because he can’t be optically detected because atheists know that all kinds of physical phenomena can’t be optically detected, yet they’re certainly there—as with my sister’s attempt to compare God to radio waves. This is negative sort of argument in that it seems to admit that the arguer can’t prove God’s existence, but that the atheist can’t disprove God’s exist, which is something that most atheists freely admit, and this puts us back where we started. The burden of proof is upon the person who affirms that something exists.

I think you have missed out reading the following para in my comment since you were in a hurry to write a rebuttal.=====================================================It is almost summer time here and today evening I sat on a bench in the marine drive and watched a fabulous sunset. As the red sun slowly went down over the horizon I was amazed at the great beauty and wondered at the greatness of the Creator behind that splendid event taking place in front of my eyers. There are so many things happening around us and inside us to marvel at the ingenuity of the great God. But if we refuse to see and admire and admit, we are missing something really precious and splendid in our lives.--------------------------------------------------==You know what is the time here now. It is past twelve midnight. Today I came home late in the night and I sat longer than usual writing comments.

"I think you have missed out reading the following para in my comment since you were in a hurry to write a rebuttal."

I not only read it, I was sufficiently was touched by it to find it memorable, partially because you don’t usually mention your physical surroundings but also because your words transcended the physical distance between us, almost allowing me to feel that I had been there with you.

No, I had no idea what time it was when you wrote, only that we were online at the same time. It is not a few minutes before noon here.

When I was a child, I believed in God. Then I became so conceited and vain as a young man that I thought I had it all figured out and there was no God. I was very certain of this for a long time but then I swallowed an ounce of humility and conceded that I might be wrong.

I still don't believe but there are people out there whom are infinitely smarter than me and they do believe in God. So although I don't believe, I do concede that I might be mistaken.

When I see an automatic car wash or the automated and synchronized workings of the pin setters at a ten pin bowling alley, I realize that there is order to our universe, not just random occurrences.

There is truth in what you say. As we grow older, become strong and self sufficient we become very arrogant and think no end of ourselves. Here in lies the folly and this is a common mistake many people do.

Instead of thanking God for the many blessings we have, we start questioning HIS existence. There is no humility and no gratitude. Many great people in this world acknowledge God and worship HIM even though they are on top of the world in terms of money, wealth and power.

There are many things in this world that we can see and feel and experience the presence of God. If we refuse to see,feel and believe then it is a great loss for us. Many people have given up their lives voluntarily for God and become martyrs. I believe in God, trust in HIM to guide me safely through this life and grant me everlasting happiness after I die. I also believe that we have come from God and after a temporary stay on this earth we will go back to God.

“I swallowed an ounce of humility and conceded that I might be wrong.”

Why is more arrogant to be an atheist and think that existence if inherently meaningless than it is to be a believer and think that the universe is centered around a Supreme Being’s concern for one’s own species?

Snowbrush, the difference between you and me is that you are still looking for God whereas I have already found God. For me the God question is settled. I can only you wish you the best of luck in your search for God.

“Snowbrush, the difference between you and me is that you are still looking for God whereas I have already found God.”

You’re right because although I’m truly an atheist, an atheist is not what I want to be but what I’m forced to be by evidence. I am therefore to keep looking and hoping. Religion is also a subject that I enjoy discussing. Whereas it seems to me that you feel threatened by such discussions, I do not because I have nothing to lose, and I believe you do. Despite what you said further down about not being open to the possibility that you’re wrong, I see cracks in your armor, and I think you very much fear that you might fall into non-belief. If you really and truly are so convinced in your belief that you never have moments of doubt, you stand alone among everyone I’ve ever talked to about the subject.

Snowbrush, I think you are confused. If I feel threatened I would not have written this post. If I am threatened I would not have encouraged a lengthy discussion on the subject. I am a human being and as all human beings we are all subject to doubts at times. But these doubts don't overwhelm me and I stand firmly in my belief in God. I don't think that I have mentioned about the possibility that I might be wrong. You are desperately trying to find some loopholes in my arguments but you have not succeeded so far.

Hope you had a Happy Birthday ~ This author is not one I would bother to read ~ although it is good to know the various 'points of view' about an ageless topic ~ Although I practice Taoism, I do believe that each one needs to find 'what speaks to them' ~ there are many names for 'God' and I leave that to each person to decide ~ As to an 'after life' ~ who knows? Anything is possible ~ I do believe that heaven and earth is right here on this planet right now ~ Beyond that is anyone's guess ~ Got to believe in something beyond the Self but the Self is a gift and pretty powerful what we can do to ourself and in spite of ourselves ~ Those are my thoughts at the moment.Thanks for visiting and Wishing you a happy week ~ ^_^

I don't think I am wrong because numerous people voluntarily gave up their lives as believers in God. Christianity was built on sacrifices although there were aberrations at times because the Christians leaders were tempted to go after money and power. After all they were also human beings.

My belief is firm and you have a right to think I might be mistaken. It doesn't matter. I don't contest your right to think what you want but then I also have a right to think what I want. If both of us think the same way, then there is no difference between us. Each one of us are unique in the way we look, think, behave and so on and all of us molded by our surroundings, circumstances, friends, neighbors, society etc. I live in a multi religious society. The first thing I hear in the morning the sound of Allah being cried out from the minarets of the mosques, then I hear the loud songs being played in the nearby temple and after that I hear the church bells ringing. All of us worship the God of our choice.

“I don't think I am wrong because numerous people voluntarily gave up their lives as believers in God.”

I think it’s easier to die for one’s deity than to live for him, especially when a person anticipates eternal bliss as the reward for death. I see people doing all manner of horrible things for their deity while ignoring his admonitions to love their enemies, and while such people are quite willing—even eager at times—to die, all this proves is that they either truly believed or they very much wanted to truly believe because in the absence of such belief, they considered life meaningless.

“you are desperately trying to find some loopholes in my arguments but you have not succeeded so far.”

“Desperately”?! “Loopholes”?! Oh, Joseph, my friend, from my point of view you haven’t offered any arguments that are worthy of refutation. For example, you say that you believe because “…numerous people voluntarily gave up their lives as believers in God,” but martyrdom doesn’t prove the existence of a deity but rather the existence of belief in a deity, so to me, it’s a non-argument. Again, I would be much more impressed if believers demonstrated greater kindness than nonbelievers, but this hasn’t been my experience.

“IN THE ABSENCE OF BELIEF IN GOD, LIFE IS MEANINGLESS.”

Yes, it meaningless in terms of ordained meaning, but it’s not meaningless in terms of subjective meaning. I’ve truly not found that atheists are any more depressed than theists, but I would love to see a good study on the matter.

Snowbrush, you should be aware that the disciples lived with Jesus and they were martyred for their belief that HE is God. You are like the doubting Thomas but Thomas was convinced when he could touch the wounds of the risen Christ. Unfortunately, you are living in the present times and Jesus is not there to convince you. So whatever I write will not make any meaning to you because you are looking for proof although proof is all around you. You refuse to see and believe. That is your fault and not mine.

I believe in God and I have a hope of a wonderful life after death. It is better live and die with that hope.

It is your choice to believe or not. There is a saying ==YOU CAN ONLY TAKE A HORSE TO THE WATER BUT YOU CANNOT MAKE IT DRINK.

Hello shadowfire, how is it possible that both could be wrong. One should be wrong and one should be right. Now who is wrong and who is right is a matter of debate. I am one who believes in God and therefore I maintain that I am right. It doesn't matter what non believers say. I said many times in my comments that my belief in God has helped to steer through life, the ups and downs and I have not been let down at any stage. This is why I say I have found my God and atheists are still looking for God. For me the God question is over and therefore I can peacefully concentrate on other things in life.

If someone thinks monkeys are our ancestors let him think so but for me it doesn't make a difference. God created many species of animals,birds, reptiles, insects, plants, trees etc. and we are HIS magnificent creations, with a soul, with thinking power and superior over all other living things on this earth. We are the masters of this earth. We have come from God and we will go back to God.

It is up to you to believe me or not and I am not trying convincing you.

The universe is an awfully big place... It is certainly possible, even with the limited knowledge we have of how space / time dynamics work, for both the existence of God as we know it and other varying concepts of Deities we do not know to all exist. In fact, myriads of Gods can exist throughout the universe, including all the world religions versions. It is also possible for none to exist.

The only thing we Can know for certain, is that we do not know the truth of any God in this space time reality we all as humans share..

There is only one God whom we can the master of the Universe but different people believe in one God or multiple God's depending on the religion they follow.

I do not think that the universe can function so beautifully and well synchronized without a supreme being. I can understand that some people don't understand this basic fact because they think they know everything about the universe.This in nothing but arrogance and totally false. We,human beings, are only picking pebbles on the sea shore where as the entire ocean in lying before us to be discovered. Human knowledge is limited and it is not possible to unravel the mysteries of the universe. I can go one step forward and say half baked knowledge is dangerous and inimical to the welfare of the human race.

I agree faith is not equal to knowledge but a person with faith can do the impossible. Without faith we are just empty human beings.

“I do not think that the universe can function so beautifully and well synchronized without a supreme being. I can understand that some people don't understand this basic fact because they think they know everything about the universe.This in nothing but arrogance and totally false.”

I have never spent so much time trying my best to communicate my thoughts and feelings to any theistic blogger as I have to you, yet you cycle right back to the same insults and misrepresentations that you started with, so I give up. I have other things I could be doing, and other bloggers I could visit. I have finally had to admit that coming here is a waste of my time because you’re the one who thinks he knows everything, about atheists at least, and this makes you unable to learn that other people can sincerely hold other views without being bad people.

Snowbrush, I can understand your disappointment because I am standing like a rock although I am being bombarded heavily by the comments of my few atheist friends. I am sorry if I have upset you and other friends who think differently from me.

Who ever wants to deny God because they cannot see HIM may continue to do so but they are very few in number. The vast majority of the world population believes in God in some form or the other.

Questioning the collective intelligence of the vast majority by a miniscule percentage makes no sense to me. I agree the miniscule have the right to their own thoughts but they have no right to attack the religious sentiments of others.

We have to live peacefully with each other although we have different views on many things under the sun. This is another uniqueness of man created by God. No two people are the same. There is all the more reason that the two of us living on different continents hold different views.

Rudyard Kipling rightly said ====

THE EAST IS EAST AND THE WEST IS WEST,NEVER THE TWAIN SHALL MEET,EXCEPT UNDER THE GOD'S JUDGMENT SEAT.

"I can understand your disappointment because I am standing like a rock..."

Are you saying that you can't be true to Jesus without being being insulting to anyone who doesn't believe in some deity, although you're okay with their deity not being your deity? I believe that you project your own negative behavior onto atheiss. For example, when you hold true to your best thinking, you call it "standing like a rock," but when they're true to theirs, you label it "refusing to see the truth."

I am being bombarded heavily by the comments of my few atheist friends."

Do you mean on your blog? If you do, I can but offer that you bruise awfully easy, and that if you feel bombarded by but a "few" friends, imagine how those friends must feel as a "minuscule percentage...questioning the collective intelligence of the vast majority." Perhaps, your discussions with them should be more about this than about who's right.

"I agree the miniscule monority have the right to their own thoughts but they have no right to attack the religious sentiments of others."

Now, I see the reason for your hostility. You don't think I have a right to express my views. How would you stop me--prison, fines, torture, death? Given that you think I should be legally silenced--for that's the only way that atheists can be silenced (and some few are willing to speak out even then)--why do you allow atheist views on your blog? I would also point out that, once again, you're doing the very thing that you would deny atheists the right to do, that is you would not allow them to "attack" your "sentiments," but you show no hesitation in attacking theirs, although, because you are unable to learn, you really don't seem to know much about theirs, and the little that you think you know is in error. I would teach you, but you must be willing to learn.

You imagine that there's a link between arrogance and atheism. As unkindly as some atheists are, I am unaware of such a link, although I believe it does exist on the part of the wealthy (Donald Trump being a prominent example), and others who, for whatever reason, imagine themselves so superior as to have no interest in the knowledge and experiences of others. I believe this defines you in that you think you have the truth of God on your side, that atheists have Satan on theirs, and that you can best serve your God by trashing atheists and denying them the freedom to express their views.

On a more personal note...I have thought a lot through the years about whether, if I could take a pill that would make me a believer, I would do it for the imagined peace it might bring. When I was younger, I thought I wouldn't because it would imply a terrible lack of intellectual integrity. Now, I think I would because I have suffered much and have come to value peace above integrity. However, I have no such pill, and maybe that is for the best; I really don't know.

I've told you that I loved you, and that is why I'm still here. For much of my life, if I got mad, I would shut the person I was mad at out of my life permanently. It's a bad to live, and I've gotten over it, but you really need to say something new sometimes rather than to simply rehash the same old stupid line about atheists thinking they "know everything" (it would make just as sense to say that they had horns and were colored green). Thomas Edison (an atheist) said, "We don't know one tenth of one percent about anything," and, I suspect even that was a gross overstatement. With this, I think it very likely that every atheist on earth would agree... Anytime a person resorts to an ad hominem attack, I take it as strong evidence that he knows he doesn't have a rational leg to stand on, and so I see you. Yet, here I am because I told you that I loved for all the good that is within you, and it is my desire that we remain friends. Just as I'm trying, I ask that you will try.

Hello Snowbrush, I don’t see any reason for you to get upset or annoyed with what I write. I have a point of view and I am expressing it freely. I don’t understand what our friendship go to do with our discussion. I don’t belong to the category of people == BIRDS OF THE SAME FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER. I am a different bird which likes to sit with a variety birds and have a good discussion on different subjects under the sun. I would like to pick other peoples brain and thereby gain some knowledge. Why should any one cut of a friend just because he has a different view point? I have not done it although some people did it to me. But that’s alright. I can get along with what ever friends I have.

Atheists should understand that their ability to understand is limited because all humans are made that way including Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. Therefore, trying the understand the universe with their limited brain and then spreading false information to gullible people is a very bad practice. Why are they doing this? Just to be in the spot light and get noticed.

If I write some maths, physics, algebra and chemistry regarding the existence of God, perhaps you will be impressed although you may not understand what I write. Some people when they don’t understand things they will pretend to understand and even applaud with great gusto because they fear that if they say they don’t understand they will go down in the estimation of others. This is what is happening to many Atheists.

SIMPLICITY, SIMPLICITY, SIMPLICITY === said Henry David Thoreau. Let us lead a simple life and be happy with what we have and this will bring us immense happiness. Let us not break our head over things which we cannot understand. Let us spend our time productively, fruitfully and enjoy every living moment. Let us celebrate life. Be grateful for the many blessing we have. We are not going to live forever and therefore quarreling over things which are beyond our comprehension is sheer waste of time.

I am not propagating my religion or my deity. I am talking about God in general. The God of Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Jews etc etc. Let us not belittle their beliefs. On the other hand we should respect them for what they believe. If you don’t want to believe in God, it is OK with me. It is your life and you are the master of it.

"I don’t see any reason for you to get upset or annoyed with what I write."

Ad hominem attacks are, by definition, "against the person" rather than against the person's argument. What if I were to constantly tell you, as some atheists would, how weak and cowardly you are for believing in God. Would that not make you feel distant from me? So it is when you tell me that I think I "know everything," despite my repeated protestations that this is not true. What then, do you think I'm lying or that you know me better than I know myself?

"Why should any one cut of a friend just because he has a different view point?"

I know caret that you believe in God, but I do care that you insult me, although I could overlook even that if you had anything else to offer.

"Atheists should understand that their ability to understand is limited.." (cont.)

Why isn't it theists who are limited? Could it not be that atheists are simply superior to theists just as the minority of gifted musicians are superior to ordinary musicians ? You see, you make insult after insult that could just easily be turned right back against you. You don't go after the person's argument but after his throat.

"If I write some maths, physics, algebra and chemistry regarding the existence of God, perhaps you will be impressed although you may not understand what I write"

Now, you're being condescending, and you're also overlooking the fact that physics is the field that contains the highest percentage of atheists, and that there is a statistically verifiable inverse link between theism and education, meaning that the less education--and even intelligence--that a person has, the more likely he is to believe in God. I haven't brought this up sooner because it doesn't prove or disprove God's existence. Still, isn't it odd that religion is the only field of endeavor in which being ignorant and unintelligent is as asset?

"Let us not break our head over things which we cannot understand."

If such thinking had been generally followed, we would still be in the Stone Age because as soon a problem got hard, we would pronounce in unknowable. Again, religion constitutes a vote for ignorance because is uses the word "God" as the mindless answer for any and everything that we don't understand. "Why, when it rains, is there fire and noise in the sky?" "No need to think, my child, just say that God did it, and imprison or kill those who persist in trying to find the answer." So it is that religion keeps people in perpetual infancy by discouraging their higher faculties. You say that atheists can't understand some things, but, no, it's theists, my friend, because they're too afraid to try. Is this, then, true of each and every theist? No, the world contains many brilliant, educated, and thoughtful theists who I can respect although I disagree with them, but however smart and educated YOU are--and I'm sure you are both--you of the stipe that is afraid to think deeply, and this forces you to resort to attacking the other side rather than being fair to them as people and to the validity of their questions much less their conclusions. After insults, YOU HAVE NOTHING INTELLIGENT TO OFFER IN REGARD TO RELIGION. This means that I'm still open to being friends with you, but as someone who is terribly in his ability to either understand my point of view or to be fair to me as a person. I have so wanted you to be more than you are able to be because I truly do enjoy you, but in this area, you are, as you admit, "standing like a rock," and it's no fun to beat ones head against a rock because a rock is impervious to outside influences. I never wanted you to change, I simply wanted you to understand and respect me, but you can't, and so, in this regard, I have no respect for you, it being people like you who imprison and kill like me as you suggested when you said that atheists shouldn't allowed to criticism religion, implying that's perfectly fine for theists to attack atheists.

I made a seemingly innocent comment regarding the age of snowbrush and to say he bruised easily would be the understatement of decade. I was tempted to react with the same venom he spewed at me but decided to turn the other cheek and I'd like to think that a bit of your wisdom has rubbed off on me, giving me the common sense not to toss gasoline onto a fire. I offered an apology but he doubled down on his venom.

I may not share your faith but I certainly am thankful for the good fortune that has found me and I one hundred percent believe in the wisdom of Galatians 6:7.

I will happy as a clam watching Liverpool vs Manchester United in a few hours. It will be an occasion to close my eyes and imprint a positive thought on my old and occasionally feeble mind.

Hello snowbrush, very interesting comment. But as usual I have to disagree with you on some points.

I am weak and cowardly when it comes to God because I know that He has bestowed many blessings on me although I don’t deserve them. So if you want to call me weak and cowardly, I will accept it with all humility.Yes, I believe in God and I don’t have to give you any proof. As far as I know there is proof all around you and it is upto you to see, feel and believe. I don’t have to convince you to believe in God. It is your choice. I am not insulting you and you have completely misunderstood my intention. Being a friend or not is your choice but I will continue to believe that you my friend what ever decision you make.You are comparing atheist to minority gifted musicians while I compare them to cunning foxes. Here is a story. A cunning fox went to rob chickens and got caught in the trap laid by the owner. The fox some how managed to escape the trap but in the process got its tail cut off. The fox was horrified and it was overcome with great shame that it did not want to mix with other foxes. After thinking for many days, the cunning fox got an idea. It went and met the other foxes. The foxes started to make fun of the fox without tail. Then this cunning fox told the other foxes that it wantonly got its tail cut because it is cumbersome and difficult to carry around. Now without the tail it is easy to move around, run faster and hunt. The other foxes got very annoyed and chased the cunning fox away. Don't you think this applies to atheists?

According to you atheist are more intelligent because highest percentage of atheist belong to physics. People belonging to other branches of knowledge are ignorant and they are devoid of knowledge. I think you are going off the track. I can flood you the names of scientists who believed in God but for the moment I will restrict with a few names.

Charles H. Townes (1915-2015): In 1964 he won the Nobel Prize in Physics and in 1966 he wrote The Convergence of Science and Religion

Ian Barbour (1923–2013): Physicist who wrote Christianity and the Scientists in 1960, and When Science Meets Religion

Joseph Murray (1919–2012): A Catholic surgeon who pioneered transplant surgery. He won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1990•

Ernan McMullin (1924–2011): Ordained in 1949 as a catholic priest, McMullin was a philosopher of science who taught at the University of Notre Dame. McMullin wrote on the relationship between cosmology and theology, the role of values in understanding science, and the impact of science on Western religious thought, in books such as Newton on Matter and Activity (1978) and The Inference that Makes Science (1992). He was also an expert on the life of Galileo. McMullin also opposed intelligent design and defended theistic evolution.

Snowbrush,It is atheist who are trying to take us to stone age and religion has done great things for the advancement of mankind. For instance, in USA how many schools, colleges and hospitals are run by atheists? Check out.Here are some examples of Christian contribution to the advancement of mankind.• Barnardo’s Homes (world’s largest orphanage system)• William Booth’s Salvation Army• Henri Dunant, a student evangelist in Geneva, founded the Red Cross in 1865• YMCA was founded in 1844 and grew greatlyCMS (Christian Missionary Society) taught 200,000 to read in East Africa in one generation—Secured the abolition of widow-burning and child sacrifice—Brought medicine to the world—Actually founded the educational systems in China, Japan, and Korea.Since I don’t want to make this comment too long, I would conclude by reproducing this paragraph from an article“It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of the coming of Christianity. It brought with it, for one thing, an altogether new sense of human life. For the Greeks had shown man his mind; but the Christians showed him his soul. They taught that in the sight of God, all souls were equal, that every human life was sacrosanct and inviolate. Where the Greeks had identified the beautiful and the good, had thought ugliness to be bad, had shrunk from disease and imperfection and from everything misshapen, horrible, and repulsive, the Christian sought out the diseased, the crippled, the mutilated, to give them help. Love, for the ancient Greek, was never quite distinguished from Venus. For the Christians held that God was love, it took on deep overtones of sacrifice and compassion.” – R. R. PalmerBest wishes

As I see it, Joseph's post is hardly under the time constraints of a newspaper, but I also recognize that you're something of an eager beaver when it comes to commenting on subjects that you interest you, and this makes you look forward to the next one.

were you born with faith or was it something that you picked up from your parents or schooling? i know several people with one parent who has faith and the other parent without faith and all of them are without faith.

i don't think it has a lot to do with the logic of religion or the logic of atheism, i think it has to do with the fact that most parents with no religious dogma are basically more fun and less strict with their kids. kids like to have fun.

and my friend bbc makes an excellent point. as they like to say at the vatican:

I was born in a Christian family. My parents were Christians and my forefathers were Christians. We belong to what is called St.Thomas Christians and we believe that St.Thomas came to India after the resurrection of Christ and converted many Hindus to Christianity. So I belong to one of the early converts to Christianity.

All my three children are Christians. My eldest son fell in love with a Hindu girl and married her in a Church. He is living in New Jersey, US with a two year old son. My grand son is also baptized in a Church.

Bertrand Russel, well know philosopher wrote that if a person is born in a Christian family he becomes a Christian, a person born in a Hindu family remains a Hindu and so on with a few exceptions.

Generally, we follow the religion of our birth and we don't go around looking for God. For us, we have found God and that's the end of it and go on living in our faith trusting in God to take care of us.

There a few other restless people who go seeking God and they want proof. They refuse to see the proof which is there in front of them. They are looking for some one like he man,superman, spider man and let their wild imagination run riot. I can only sympathize with such people. Instead of taking care of their day to day living, they are running after a wild goose chase. Hopeless enterprise, I would say. In their frustration they make fun of every one who believes in God. My heart goes out to these miserable,unhappy,frustrated people. Hope and pray good sense will prevail.

as a practitioner of meditation for over 40 years i've learned that many things aren't visible when you look for them. it's a matter of relaxing and opening up your mind so if something inspirational comes your way, you've got a good chance of catching it.

a few nights ago i watching liverpool playing manchester united with the sound turned off and some light jazz playing. magically i experienced true bliss and happiness. it only happens a few times a year but it's something to imprint on your mind and draw strength from. maybe one day i'll have a religious awakening but i know that if i try to force it, i'll just push is further away.

in the meantime, i cherish your gentle and loving spirit. it gives me a little more faith in the human spirit and hopefully your kindness will wear off on me in some small way.

Please do not judge all atheists by the boorish behavior of a few. My father taught me the importance of respecting a man's faith and in turn, I have taught my children the importance of respecting a man's faith. Many atheists lack this moral compass and rather than respecting a man's faith, they attack it and expect the man to defend his faith. Asking a person to defend his faith is in poor taste and does not merit a response. A man must account for his actions, not his faith.

I often criticize the Vatican but I base my criticisms on their actions and decadence, not on their faith.

I once asked asked a nun if she considered Easter to be a sad occasion or a happy occasion. Without hesitation she told me that Easter was a joyous occasion because Christ was resurrected and it validated her faith. Her happiness resonated with me and rather than demanding proof, I was happy that she was happy. Happiness can be infectious just as misery can be infectious and if faith brings happiness, then it has done its job.

When I see or hear people denounce the afterlife with such a zest, I feel for them... the fact that there are miracles prove there is something else. It is not for me to sell someone on my beliefs, however; it is also not for me to tear something down that I don't believe...

I wanted to thank you for dropping by my blog with a very nice comment... have a wonderful Easter

Thanks for coming to my blog. Please come back anytime... I totally agree with YOU ---and will say that one cannot convince an atheist of something that he/she cannot conceive in their hearts and souls.... I just pray for those who don't understand and don't want to realize that life beyond these bodies will be so much more for us... God Bless You and hope you have a Happy Easter.Betsy

As a practicing Druid, I don't believe in Heaven and Hell as such...but in a self-assessment that we all go through after physical death, when we can clearly see how our behaviour has affected the growth of our Spirit.Then, there follows a period of adjustment and, if necessary, atonement.I do, however, believe there is a kind of "Hell" for those who have lived particularly evil lives...but it is a self-inflicted state of deep remorse, followed by reincarnation into a new life beset by ever increasing challenges, if life's lessons are not learned.

I could never believe that this present life is all there is. We could never learn all of life's lessons in so short a time.

However, I would never try to impose my beliefs upon anyone else. It is for each individual Soul to find their own way to enlightenment.Whether or not we like it...we are all in this together.

I am not sure awaits us when our time is Earth is done, but I know there is something else out there beyond our comprehension. I didn't always feel this way, but then my mother passed away and too many things happened after her death to make me believe this. Thanks for sharing this post and your views. I enjoyed it. Take care.

Well, as an atheist/humanist I have to agree with Stephen. My problem is the strident tone some of my fellow atheists use when they discuss religion. I see religion (especially organised religion) as a cultural phenomenon, logically explained through human behaviour through the ages. The thought that there could be "something else" after death is comforting for some people and I have to respect that even if I don't believe it myself.

"..... misusing his position as an eminent scientist and misleading people by his preposterous views."

His is just his opinion and is not the last word on the subject. He could be wrong or could be right, depends on who's reading it.

I believe in a Supreme Being. Otherwise I would not be able to explain things happening beyond human understanding. I am because HE IS! All of life is a display of who HE is. It is not to be explained.. but experienced.

Thank you for this post, Jack. Love it every time you speak your mind. And thank you, too, for dropping by my blog. Loving it every time you do.

Joseph, in spite of it all, I do care about you, and I'm worried. Believe me, I know how bad shoulder pain can be because for nearly a decade, it has been torment to me in both shoulders, and three surgeries haven’t taken away the pain. Most people never have problems with their shoulders, so they haven’t a clue what it is like. I’ve often had to sleep in a chair, been unable to swing my arms normally when I walk, dreaded normal activity for fear it would make the pain worse.

I know nothing about Ayurveda, but if those tendons are torn, no amount of medicine is going to put them back together. Please, my friend, see an MD to at least get a proper diagnosis.

Hello Snowbrush, many thanks for your advice. I have pain on my left shoulder and I can't sleep on my left side. As a result sleeping only on my right side for long is impossible. I get up five or six times in the night to apply ointment to remove my pain. So far nothing has happened. As you said if the tendons are torn, things are going to be extremely difficult. But I can still use my left hand but the pain persists at all times. I have to wait and finish this Aurveda treatment which I think will take one or two more weeks. Lets hope nothing serious.

Hello Snowbrush, I have not written a new post because I am spending most of my time worrying about my pain than thinking about writing a post. This pain is something new to me. I have always been very healthy but I think now my time has come to carry the cross.

I will write a new post soon. You are a great source of inspiration because with all your troubles you maintain a cheerful attitude and keep writing wonderful new posts.'

“You are a great source of inspiration because with all your troubles you maintain a cheerful attitude and keep writing wonderful new posts.'”

“Wonderful new posts”? I had rather thought that most of my posts proved to your satisfaction that I’m not only tragically in error but also dishonest. Still, despite my confusion, I thank you.

Writing gives me a respite from the pain because an important tool for dealing with pain is distraction. The problem comes when I’m in so much pain that my mood plummets to the point that I find it hard to even get out of bed.

About Me

Hi, my name is Joseph Thomas Pulikotil. I hope you will find my blog interesting, informative and thought provoking.Please feel free to post your comments, opinions, appreciation,improvements, suggestions or whatever you feel. I will surely visit your blog and we will be good friends.